Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), also referred to herein as a cardiac emergency, is the onset of an abnormal heart rhythm, lack of pulse and absence of breath, leading to a loss of consciousness. If a pulse is not restored within a few minutes, death occurs. An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that can be used to automatically diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.
The probability of surviving a cardiac emergency often depends on the speed with which an AED can be brought to the scene of a cardiac emergency. To decrease the response time to a patient suffering from a cardiac emergency, portable AEDs are often carried on the person or in the vehicles of emergency and first-response personnel, such as, such as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and law enforcement officers, firefighters and the like (i.e., “first responders”). In addition, it has become a common practice to place AEDs in public places such as corporate and government offices, shopping centers, airports, airplanes, restaurants, schools and other location where people may congregate (referred to herein as “public access AEDs”).
However, first responders cannot be at all places at all times. It still takes time to alert first responders of the occurrence of a cardiac emergency, and first responders may be located a significant distance away from the scene of the cardiac emergency which further increases the response time for providing an AED to the scene. In the case of public access AEDs, it can take additional time for a first responder to retrieve the AED before bringing it to the scene.
What is needed is a system and/or method that enables first responders to be notified quicker of the occurrence and location of a cardiac emergency and that enables and that ensures that first responders and AEDs that can reach the scene of a cardiac emergency the fastest are utilized.